Thor: The Dark World
'' Thor: The Dark World'' is a 2013 American superhero film directed by Alan Taylor. It is a sequel to ''Thor'' and the eighth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was released on November 8, 2013. A sequel, ''Thor: Ragnarok'', followed on November 3, 2017. Plot Eons ago, Bor, father of Odin, clashes with the Dark Elf Malekith, who seeks to unleash a weapon known as the Aether on the nine realms. Bor conqueres Malekith's forces, including enhanced warriors called the Kursed, on their home world of Svartalfheim and safeguards the Aether within a stone column. Unbeknownst to Bor, Malekith, his lieutenant Algrim, and a handful of Dark Elves escape into suspended animation. In present-day Asgard, Loki stands imprisoned for his war crimes on Earth. Meanwhile, Thor, alongside warriors Fandral, Volstagg, and Sif, repel marauders on Vanaheim, home of their comrade Hogun; it is the final battle in a war to pacify the Nine Realms following the reconstruction of the Bifrost, the "Rainbow Bridge" between realms, which had been destroyed two years earlier. The Asgardians soon learn that the Convergence, a rare alignment of the Nine Realms, is imminent; as the event approaches, portals linking the worlds appear at random. In London, astrophysicist Jane Foster and his assistant Darcy Lewis find such portals in an abandoned factory, disrupting the laws of physics around them. Jane separates from the group and is teleported to another world, where she is infected by the Aether. Heimdall alerts Thor that Jane has moved beyond his near all-seeing vision, leading Thor to Earth. When he finds Jane, inadvertently releases an unearthly force, and Thor returns her to Asgard. Recognizing the Aether, Odin warns that the Aether will not only kill Jane, but that is return heralds a catastrophic prophecy. Malekith is awakened by the Aether and turns Algrim into a Kursed before attacking Asgard. The pair search for Jane during the battle, sensing that she contains the Aether. Thor's mother Frigga is killed protecting Jane, and Malekith and Algrim are forced to flee without her. Odin places orders not to leave Asgard; despite this, Thor reluctantly enlists the help of Loki, who knows of a secret portal to Svartalfheim, where they will use Jane to lure and confront Malekith, away from Asgard. In return, Thor promises Loki vengeance on Malekith for killing their mother. The threesome head to Svartalfheim with Volstagg and Sif stalling Asgardian soldiers and Fandrall assisting their escape. There, Loki tricks Malekith into drawing the Aether out of Jane, but Thor fails in his attempt to destroy it. Malekith merges with the Aether and leaves in his ship while Loki is fatally wounded while killing Algrim. Thor promises to tell their father of his sacrifice. Thor and Jane discover a portal in a nearby cave and return to London, where they reunite with Darcy and Jane's mentor Dr. Erik Selvig, who was briefly institutionalized due to the mental trauma he suffered during Loki's attack on Earth. They learn that Malekith plans to restore the Dark Elves to dominance by unleashing the Aether at the center of the Convergence in Greenwich. Thor battles Malekith through various portals and across multiple worlds until one portal separates them, leaving Malekith on Earth unopposed. Thor returns in time to help his mortal comrades use their scientific equipment to transport Malekith to Svartalfheim, where he is crushed by his own damaged ship. Thor returns to Asgard, where he declines Odin's offer to take the throne and tells Odin of Loki's sacrifice. As he leaves, Odin's form transforms into Loki, who is still alive and impersonating Odin. In a mid-credits scene, Volstagg and Sif visit the Collector and entrust the Aether to his care, commenting that with the Tesseract already in Asgard, it would be unwise having two Infinity Stones so close together. As they leave, the Collector remarks, "One down, five to go." In a post-credits scene, Jane and Thor reunite on Earth while somewhere in London a frost monster from Jotunheim, accidentally transported to Earth during the final battle, continues to run amok. Cast * Chris Hemsworth as Thor * Natalie Portman as Jane Foster * Tom Hiddleston as Loki * Anthony Hopkins as Odin * Stellan Skarsgard as Erik Selvig * Idris Elba as Heimdall * Christopher Eccleston as Malekith * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim/ Kurse * Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis * Ray Stevenson as Volstagg * Zachery Levi as Fandral * Tadanobu Asano as Hogun * Jaimie Alexander as Sif * Rene Russo as Frigga * Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/ The Collector * Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/ Captain America (cameo/ Loki impersonation) Category:Films Category:PG 13-rated films Category:Live-action films Category:Action films Category:Superhero films Category:Fantasy films Category:Marvel Studios films Category:Disney films Category:Sequels Category:2010s films Category:2013 films